HP Storage Works DAT drives are based on the Digital Data Storage (DDS) format. In fact, DAT is the most successful tape backup technology of all time with more than 17 million DAT drives shipped since its introduction in 1989, & with a current world-wide installed base of over 6 million drives. A number of vendors manufacture DDS format DAT drives, but HP has long been the market leader in DAT technology. This remarkable tape technology continues to flourish because of its ability to meet the needs of the Small & Medium Business (SMB) market for reliable, cost-effective backup better than any other technology available. The HP Storage Works family of DAT drives is the first choice for data protection for many small & medium businesses with low-end & mid-range servers & workstations. HP Storage Works DAT drives are also frequently used for operating system backup & software loading on mission-critical servers in many large enterprises. Protecting the needs of small or medium business, the HP Storage Works DAT 160 USB (Universal Serial Bus) Tape Drive is the highest capacity & performance DAT drive with up to 160GB compressed data per cartridge & speeds of around 50GB/hr (assuming 2:1 data compression). The USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 interface provides plug-&-play connectivity, enabling backup to be initiated from straight out-of-the-box in less than 60 seconds.